October 29, 2018
The partnership comes as development and adoption of new ICT services and networks have been proven to have powerful impact in sustainable socio-economic growth
India and the EU will develop joint action plans for areas such as future technologies, including 5G communication, Internet of Things (IoT) and Machine to Machine (M2M)
The India-EU cooperation dialogue on digital communications will take place annually within the existing framework of the India-EU joint working group on communication
Such partnerships come as India, with a telecommunication customer base of over 1.2 billion, has evolved as a critical investment market for digital communication
India and the European Union (EU) are focussing on digital communications and technologies as a pivot for development in all spheres of society, business and governance. As a result, India’s junior minister for communications, Manoj Sinha and Andrus Ansip, European commissioner for digital single market and vice president of the European Commission, on October 26 discussed cooperation in digital economy, digital communications and society. The partnership comes as development and widespread adoption of new information and communications technology (ICT) services and networks have been proven to have powerful impact in sustainable socio-economic growth and competitiveness.
Meanwhile, the Indian and European Telecom Standardization Development Organizations – TSDSI (India) and ETSI (European Union) have entered to technical cooperation. On the recent occasion, the two sides also confirmed commitment to broaden ties in digital communications and emerging technologies. India and the EU will develop joint action plans for areas such as future networks and emerging technologies, including 5G communication, Internet of Things (IoT) and Machine to Machine (M2M), among others. The focus will include promotion of R&D and innovation, network security, spectrum management, capacity development as well as policy and regulatory requirements.
The EU has also expressed interest in strengthening cooperation in areas of testing and certification by supporting the visit of Indian experts to the European testing and certification laboratories for telecom equipment, with a view of exploring the possibility of India recognizing EU certifications. The EU side also discussed basic custom duties on some ICT products. The India-EU cooperation dialogue on digital communications will take place annually within the existing framework of the India-EU JWG on ICTs which was set up in 2011. Such partnerships come as India, with a telecommunication customer base of over 1.2 billion, has evolved as a critical market for digital communication.